So...what ABOUT Cain and Abel???

Brother Ron (our pastor) was preaching yesterday about anger. He used the story of Cain & Abel to illustrate how anger gets out of control and destroys lives. But more specifically...he pointed out how Cain didn't give God his best.

Cain gave God his leftovers.

Why is that? Why do we offer anything less than our best to God? Ahhhh...it's our old pal, SELF.

Cain was so very sorry...for getting caught. There's a difference between being sorry because you did something wrong, and just being sorry that you've been found out.

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Cain was all about self.

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He gave up so much because his heart wasn't humble and repentant. He gave up so much to satisfy self.

How much do you give up to satisfy self?

Time with your husband? Time with your kids? A phone call to your parents? Lunch with a friend? Dinner with the girls?

Quiet time with God?

While passing up time with your husband, kids, parents, & friends only hurts momentarily, in the long run, it causes irrepairable damage. You look back on 20 years worth of memories of...yourself. The missed opportunities cause regret. And your loved ones perspectives will never be what you would have wanted. Let's face it folks...the closeness that God intended for you to have with those He surrounded you with on this Earth, simply won't exist if you're not willing to give up self.

Look at Cain...

In verse 8, Cain killed his brother. In verse 9, Cain got snooty with God. In verse 10, Cain refuses to acknowledge to God his anger (for the 2nd time). And in verse 13, only after God has revealed how pathetic Cain's life will be, Cain whines. He doesn't apologize to The Father...he whines. He doesn't see the error of his ways...he only sees the misery his actions will bestow on him. Sorry? Nope. Satisfied? Never. Selfish? Always.

Are you like Cain?

I sure hope not! I hope that you can see past the end of your nose! I hope that you realize to sin against God is not a good idea. Even more, I want you to do a heart check on your attitude and respect for His plan and Authority in your life.

Understand that God doesn't require our best attitude and efforts in an attempt to make us unhappy. He doesn't ask us why we think we have the right to be angry over something that He's allowed...just to point out his Authority over us. The truth is...He doesn't want us to miss out on life. He KNOWS where self will lead us. He KNOWS our heart will fail if we don't walk with Him. He KNOWS anger doesn't change things. And He knows how easily self convinces us that our own needs and desire are more important than our well-being. See...out of all the people that self hurts, it is the most harmful to...you.

The next time that God asks you what the heck you're thinking...or He warns you that the way you're heading isn't good...you'd do yourself a favor by listening to Him.

And throw the leftovers to the dogs.